Invisible

by DelSheree Gladden

  Chapter 32

  Everything Winks Out

  (Olivia)

   

  “What day is it?” I demand of everyone at the table once the hunk of chicken stuck in my throat gets washed down with water.

  “Friday,” Evie says with a confused expression. “Why?”

  How could I forget? My heart rate skyrockets as I realize Hayden is here to pick me up for our date! My eyes dart over to Mason. His tight expression kills me!

  I watch Hayden start walking up the driveway. My stomach twists painfully.

  Dad looks over at me and says, “Were you expecting Hayden tonight?”

  “Uh, yeah …”

  “For?” Mom prompts.

  “For our date,” I say quietly.

  Everyone freezes. Dad looks rather shocked. Mom scrunches her nose. Evie’s eyes bug. None of their reactions draw my attention as much as Mason’s. I cringe as his head drops. Hayden’s knock sounds on the door, bringing Mason’s eyes up to mine. The agony holding his body tight kills me.

  I turn to Mom and ask, “Can you get the door?”

  Then I grab Mason’s hand and yank him up from his chair. “I need to talk to you.”

  Mason doesn’t object as I tow him through the hall to the kitchen. When we’re safely away from the front door, I drop his hand. It’s not that I don’t want to touch him right now. I just can’t think being so close to him. I take a step back and look up at Mason.

  Clearly confused, Mason doesn’t say anything. He just waits.

  “Mason, I’m sorry. I forgot Hayden was coming tonight.”

  He shakes his head. “You don’t have to be sorry. I’m the one that screwed up. I have no right to hold you back.”

  “No, Mason, I think I screwed up, too. Evie told me you wanted to talk, and I want to hear everything, but I think I need to go with Hayden right now.”

  “Olivia?” Mom calls from the hall, her voice questioning.

  I glance at the hall, but my eyes are pulled back to Mason. “Just a minute,” I yell to Mom.

  Turning back to Mason, I sigh in frustration. “I don’t want to go, but… I feel bad being mean to Hayden when he’s been so nice to me, and I’m pretty sure he still thinks I’m being abused, and ditching out at the last minute might make him more suspicious.”

  “What? Why would Hayden think you’re being abused?” he demands.

  “Uh… it’s a long story.” I shake my head and grab Mason’s hand. “Just, um, wait for me, okay?”

  “Of course,” Mason says.

  I throw my arms around him quickly. “Thanks, and sorry.”

  As I pull away, it’s hard to make my eyes leave him. It feels good to let go of my anger at him, but there’s still something he’s hiding from me. Anxiety prickles around me as I finally exit the kitchen. What made Mason lie to me in the first place? I approach the hallway afraid to find out.

  The smile that spreads across Hayden’s lips makes me stumble. Mom looks over at me curiously, not sure what’s going on.

  “There you are,” she says with one eyebrow raised. Her head tilts to one side as if she’s waiting for an explanation.

  “Thanks for keeping Hayden company, Mom. Sorry I took so long.” That last part is directed toward both of them.

  Hayden is the first to answer. “It’s no problem, but we better get going if we’re going to make it to the movie on time.”

  “Oh, of course.”

  “What time will you be back?” Dad asks as he comes up behind Mom. I see Evie leaning against the kitchen doorframe, her face pinched as she stares at me.

  Hayden puts his arm around my shoulder casually. “I’ll have her back before ten, if that’s okay.”

  Mom glances up at Dad, the corner of her mouth twitching a bit. “We’re supposed to be over at the Harpers by nine, but that should be okay, don’t you think?”

  “Uh, yes, that should be fine.”

  Hayden seems to catch onto the fact that something is a little off. “If you’re worried about Evie being here alone, she can always come with us,” he offers.

  “Oh no,” Mom says quickly, “Evie can come with us. The Harpers have a daughter her age. You two have fun.”

  Her smile seems a little tight, but it’s convincing enough for Hayden. He smiles. “Well, you guys enjoy your evening. I promise I’ll look after Olivia.”

  With that, he takes my hand and leads me out the front door before I can say anything. He’s opening the passenger door for me before I shake myself and wake up. I don’t know what else to do but climb up into the truck and buckle myself in. Half a dozen thoughts run through my mind as I watch him walk around to the driver’s side.

  Hayden has been the one bright spot in my life the last few days. He is a decent, sweet guy. And I have to admit that he is very handsome. My interest in Hayden was more survival instinct than actual romance, but I know it’s real for him.

  As he climbs in with a smile, I’m not sure if I’ve used him the last few days, or just leaned on him. To be honest, I have so little experience with relationships or even friends that I have no idea what I’m doing. Hayden is a great guy, and I don’t want to hurt him, but I know I would never choose him over Mason. Whatever Mason is lying about …

  Nothing could be bad enough that it would break us apart. I can’t let Hayden think there is a future between us when I know there isn’t. I may be nearly clueless about relationship etiquette, but I know that one at least. I have to tell him.

  “Hayden,” I start.

  He looks over at me with a smile so sweet and kind that I can’t go on. My chest hurts as I look at him. He waits expectantly. My willpower caves to his warmth. I’ll tell him after the movie.

  Forcing a smile, I say, “Thanks for picking me up.”

  Hayden grins. “No problem.” His hand squeezes mine, but doesn’t linger. “I’m glad you came. I was almost sure you were going to back out.”

  If he only knew.

  “It’s, uh, nice to get out of the house,” I say.

  “Yeah,” Hayden says, “it sounded like you’re parents are still pretty worried about you and Evie being on your own. I’m sure the mugging really rattled them.”

  “Uh huh.”

  Sure, let’s go with that. It’s better than him thinking my parents are abusive and controlling. By the sideways look he gives me, I get the impression that concerns about them hurting me are still swimming around in his head.

  I breathe a sigh of relief when we pull into the parking lot of the theater a moment later. It feels like I am suffocating in the truck. I jump out and breathe in a steadying breath. The tips of my fingers twitch as I walk slowly to the back of the truck to meet Hayden. He, on the other hand, is grinning.

  Quickly, I fold my arms across my chest. I don’t want to hurt his feelings and pull away if he tries to hold my hand. Better to take away the option. Or so I think. His arm settles easily around my shoulders. He keeps it casual, like he might sling an arm around a buddy. I’m not that easily fooled, though. I’m pretty sure that if I give him any signs that I could handle more, he’d pull me against him like I have seen so many other couples do. Like Mason has done with me, but I was too blind to realize what it meant.

  Hayden doesn’t seem to feel the awkwardness I do as we walk up to the ticket window. I shiver when his arm falls away to pay for our tickets. Thinking quick, I step away from him and pretend to look at the “Coming Soon” posters lining the wall. When he turns away from the counter with tickets in hand, I pull the door open and wave him through.

  All the way through the concession line and to our seats, I manage to keep a small buffer between us. The previews are already rolling by the time we sit down, and I hope that rules out conversation. Just like the rest of this night, luck is just not in my favor.

  “Are things any better at home?” he asks quietly.

  “What?” I try to sound casual, but the anxiety in my voice is hard to miss
.

  “Since we ran into each other at the basketball park, I mean. I know you didn’t want to talk about it, but I… I’ve been worried about you, Olivia.” He looks over at me seriously. If I was a normal girl, I’m sure the look would melt me to the core. “Things seemed really tense at your house when I picked you up.”

  My mouth opens, but what am I supposed to tell him? My invisible friend, who has been living with us for twelve years, is being hunted by a group of wackos who may have killed our neighbors and want to kill Mason as well? I want to bang my head against something. When did everything get so screwed up?

  Hayden’s brow furrows at my lack of reassurance. He looks away for a moment, then surprises me by reaching up and pushing down the high collar of the shirt I’m wearing. Blood drains from my body, turning my fingers icy.

  “I noticed these yesterday,” he says. The pain in his eyes tears at me. “They aren’t from the mugging. I know because I memorized every bruise that creep gave you. These… Olivia, it looks like someone had their hands around your neck.”

  I push his hand away from my throat. I tried to cover them up. When did he see them? Panic whirls through my mind as I try to come up with some kind of believable excuse for the strangulation marks on my neck. Nothing comes to mind and my stomach plummets to my shoes.

  The movie starts. I stare straight ahead. Can this night get any worse? Now if I tell Hayden that I can’t see him anymore, he’ll think it’s because of this. He’ll become even more suspicious, and even though he hasn’t moved on his suspicions yet doesn’t mean he won’t. He’s a good guy, an honest guy. The type of guy who would tell someone what he thinks is happening to me in order to protect me.

  I can’t let him tell anyone that my parents are abusing me. Not only is it not true, it would draw attention, it would mean letting people into our house to investigate. How would we know if they were real social workers or Sentinels in disguise? The Caretakers have people working in law enforcement. Social services would be a perfect place to hide a bunch of Sentinels.

  My head falls back against the seat as all my energy abandons me. Everything is such a huge mess right now and I have no idea how to fix things! My gut tells me it’s only going to get worse, too. Mason is still hiding secrets. More than the threat of Hayden making false claims against my parents, I am terrified of what he is going to tell me.

  Hayden stays silent through the entire movie. What feels like forever later, the credits begin to roll. I have no idea what we just watched. I just want to get out of here. I jump up from my seat and power past Hayden. The doors loom in front of me like an escape hatch, but as soon as I push through them, Hayden grabs my arm and yanks me to a stop.

  “Olivia, what is going on?” he demands.

  I shake my head, scared and frustrated.

  When I try to pull away from him, he grabs my other arm and pins me against the wall. He isn’t rough, just firm. There is no anger in his eyes. The depths of his concern for me would be bliss if the situation were as simple as he thought it was. Part of me wants to blurt everything out, the real truth, and dump my problems on him, but I know I could never do that.

  “Olivia,” Hayden says more softly, “please tell me what’s going on. It’s been killing me not to say anything, not confronting you about this. I want to respect the fact that you don’t want to talk about it, but I’m scared that someone is hurting you and I can’t stand by and let it keep happening. Please just tell me the truth. Are your parents hurting you?”

  I slump against the wall. “No, Hayden, my parents are not abusing me. This has nothing to do with them.”

  His face wrinkles. I can tell he wants to believe me, but he just can’t bring himself to do it. “Someone gave you those bruises. I want to know who.”

  “The same guy who gave me these bruises,” I say, pointing at the lingering yellow-brown stain on my cheek.”

  “What?” Hayden asks. He shakes his head, confused or maybe angry because he thinks I’m lying to him.

  I am, but I can’t help it. The only idea I can come up with rolls off my tongue with abandon.

  “The guy from the park, he attacked me again, at my house this time. He must have followed me home, or maybe he was following me from the beginning, I don’t know. He knocked on the door and I was stupid and didn’t look to see who it was first. I thought maybe it was Robin because she said she might come by. He pushed the door into me and grabbed me. I couldn’t get away. I don’t know what he was planning to do, but my mom pulled into the driveway and he ran out the back.”

  “Did you call the police? Are they watching your house? No wonder your parents were so freaked about you going out tonight and leaving Evie at home.” Hayden’s grip on my arms becomes less restraining and more of a caress. He steps closer to me and looks down at me worriedly. “What did the police say? Do they have any idea who this guy is?”

  “I… didn’t call the police.”

  I’m not sure why I admit that to him. When his eyes fly wide, I wish I could take it back.

  “What? Why not?”

  “Because, he said he’d hurt my family if I did,” I say quietly. While not exactly what happened, the threat is there all the same. I reach up and touch Hayden’s shoulder softly. “I don’t know who this guy is, or what he wants, but he knows my name, knows where I live, and I don’t know what to do about it. I don’t know how to get him to leave me alone, but I’m scared he’ll come back.”

  Hayden draws me against his chest. His heavy breaths pulse against my cheek. “Olivia, I’m so sorry. I know you’re scared, but you have to tell the police. They can have someone watch your house. You won’t be able to watch for him every second.”

  “He meant it when he said he’d hurt them, Hayden. I can’t tell anyone.”

  Pain etches his features. I can tell he wants to argue with me until I give in, but I won’t. To be honest, I don’t know if we can trust the police now that we know Caretakers are hiding out in their ranks, loyal to Caretaker law over anything else. What if they find out about the second attack and decide Mason is in too much danger? They’ll take him away from me.

  My shoulders start to shake. I can’t let them take him away. I can’t lose Mason. I just can’t. Hayden’s arms tighten around me painfully. He isn’t the one I want to have his arms around me right now, but I just want this all to be over. I want my life back, my friend back. I want to stop living under a cloud of fear. I want to be with Mason always.

  “Olivia,” Hayden croons as he sweeps tears from my cheeks, “everything is going to be okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you, okay? We’ll figure this out.”

  I pull out of thoughts of Mason and feel the weight of guilt settle on my shoulders. I shouldn’t be dumping this on him. It will only put him in danger if the Sentinels think he has some idea of who they are. I try to shake my head at him, but he won’t have anything to do with it. His hands press against my cheeks to stop my head from shaking away his promise.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you, Olivia.”

  Before I can change his mind, his mouth presses against mine. Without warning, every thought drains from my head. The gentle pressure of his lips eases away my fear. I start to respond, moving my mouth with his, but reality slaps me in the face a moment later and I pull away from him wide eyed.

  Hayden stands back, startled and breathing heavy. The question in his eyes haunts me.

  “I’m sorry,” I blurt out.

  His hands fall to his side. “I didn’t… I mean.” Seemingly at a loss, he scrubs his hands through his hair and groans. “Olivia, I’m so sorry. I thought… I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “You didn’t,” I start. No. I start over. “It’s not that, Hayden. I’m not mad or anything. You’re an amazing guy …”

  “But?”

  “But,” I say, feeling sick to my stomach, “I should tell you why I ended up at the basketball park that day.”

  Hayden leans against
the wall. The way his body sags against the bricks makes it obvious he knows this won’t be good news. I feel horrible for making him feel like this, but I know what I want, who I want. I won’t string him along and hurt him like that.

  “I have this friend,” I begin. Hayden grimaces. I struggle to continue. “We’ve been friends almost all our lives, and things had started to change between us lately. Well, I guess things changed for him a while ago, but I didn’t realize it at first. I waited too long, and when he told me how he felt, I freaked out. I didn’t understand how much I cared about him in time. Not until… not until I saw him with another girl and realized I was in love with him. I ran away, and that’s how I ended up at the park.”

  “And you’re still in love with him,” Hayden finishes, sounding defeated.

  I nod quietly. “I’m so sorry, Hayden. I never meant to lead you on or use you. I just needed a friend, and I didn’t have anyone else.” I bite my bottom lip as tears start to threaten. “For a while, I thought maybe I could… maybe moving on was possible, but I can’t. Not yet. I’m so sorry.”

  “Who is he?” Hayden asks. “I’ve never even seen you eat with anyone at lunch before Robin showed up.” His eyebrows inch up slowly. Something seems to click in his mind, but I can’t imagine what it is. “Is your friend, is it Robin?”

  My eyes widen. “What? No! You think I’m into girls?”

  Hayden looks trapped. “No, I mean, I didn’t… no. It’s just that she’s the only person I’ve ever seen you hang out with. I didn’t mean to suggest… I’m just a little lost right now.”

  “Robin has nothing to do with this. We’re not even that good of friends, for crying out loud. The guy I’m talking about, he doesn’t live here,” I lie. “His parents are good friends with mine, but they’re a military family. They live overseas right now. They came to visit, and all of this just kind of blew up in my face. I’m so sorry you got caught in the middle of it.”

  “So, the guy who attacked you, does he have something to do with this guy you like?” Hayden pinches the bridge of his nose.

  I nearly choke on his question. “No,” I lie again. “Two completely separate pieces of insanity.”

  A pained expression squeezes his features as he tries to piece together the lies and bits of truth I have just dumped on him. I say nothing as he attempts to process everything, not entirely sure how he’s going to come out of it at the end.

  “So, some lunatic stalker has attacked you twice, and your best friend turned almost boyfriend broke your heart?” he says. “Is that the main gist of all this?”

  “Uh, basically.”

  Hayden pushes away from the wall and stares at me looking oddly determined. He takes a deep breath. “Okay. The stalker first. I still think you should go to the police, but regardless, I’m glued to your side for the foreseeable future at school and any other time I can manage. You have to tell your parents so they can watch for him, maybe get a security system if you don’t already have one. Don’t go anywhere by yourself,” he demands.

  “Secondly, whoever this guy is that chose someone else over you, he’s an idiot. I get that you’re not ready to start dating someone else, but that doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere. You need a friend right now, and it’s going to be awfully hard to stop me from being one.”

  Evidently out of words, he stares at me and waits for a response. My lips part, but I fear he may be standing there for a long while. It seems to take hours for my brain to kick start itself to life.

  Finally, I say, “Hayden, I don’t know what to say. None of this is your problem.”

  “I want it to be my problem,” he says. “I want to know you’re safe, and hopefully happy again.”

  How do I say no to that? I have no idea how to deal with this situation. Nothing comes to me before Hayden gently guides me back toward his truck. Before I know it, we’re pulling into my driveway. I reach for the door handle, desperate for some quiet so I can think. Hayden is at my door by the time my feet touch the driveway. He walks me to the front door as his eyes scan the street for anything suspicious.

  I unlock the door on autopilot and turn the handle. Before I step inside, I turn to Hayden.

  “Hayden, I, um, thank you.” It’s all I can think to say.

  He squeezes my shoulder gently. “I’m here, whatever you need.”

  I nod, because it’s all I can manage, and step inside. I watch him turn away through the window and sigh. Maybe Evie can help me figure out what to do. I reach for the light switch, wondering for the first time why it’s so dark. No way Evie went with Mom and Dad instead of staying here with Mason. She can’t stand Ava Harper. I flick it up, but nothing happens. I start to call out for Evie and Mason, but something collides with the back of my head and everything winks out.